Today is the first day officially rated as a mountain stage, but it is certainly not the first stage in the race where the GC favourites are going to have to exert themselves. Yesterday we saw Benfica strike back with their second one-two of the race, but Pirelli's Iban Mayo still leads.
The long drag up to the Alto de Sote is going to put a lot of riders into difficultly and will test the GC credentials of the riders fully, but there is a subsequent short descent before the finish. There is an early categorised climb on today's route and by then a break has established itself... Yamaha's Bajadali claims top points here with Jose Chacon of Red Bull next followed by Benfica's Saldarriaga.
Andy rider to have on your team is Bajadali
As yet nothing for current KOM leader Ndbri (27 points) to concern himself with, but Bajadali now on 12 points and Saldarriaga now on 17 points will be able to close if they make the later higher category climbs. There are another two riders to add to those already mentioned Hofland (Bimbo Nutella) and de Romijn (Youtube).
Five men make todays break of the day
Bajadali and Saldarriaga are also well placed in the points competition, with Columbia perhaps being one of the few stage races where constantly being in breakaways may just win you credence. Saldarriaga takes the first sprint prime over Bajadali with Hofland third. This lifts the Benfica man up to 3rd place in the points with 39 and the Yamaha man to 44 points just 3 points behind current points leader Van den Broeck.
Meanwhile in the peleton again it is unclear who should be leading, as LEGO do a reluctant pacing job.
Koldo Gil's squad not happy with the work they are having to do
It feels like a game of poker amongst the favourites, Mayo is probably not the Pirelli leader here and Benfica have a man in the break so really Lego are the logical team to control it. Back up front though the riders come to the second sprint point where Bajadali takes it to become the new points leader.
Bajadali - > Hofland - > Saldarriaga
Warning bells should be ringing in the main pack as with 60 to go the lead is six and a half minutes, Chacon and Saldarriaga featured well in the Vuelta a Tachira and are dangerous riders who can climb well. The Yamaha new points man Bajadali can also climb well, but it is very surprising to see Bimbo Nutella's Hofland take the next KOM point!
It was a ten pointer and the next one is a 15 pointer so it is beginning to look like Ndbri's KOM jersey is slipping away. The favourite to take it over is Benfica's Saldarriaga, though he seems interested in sprint points too!
Sprint 3: Saldarriaga - > Bajadali - > Hofland
This brings the Benfica man level with team mate Van Den Broeck, but now both trail Bajadali by seven points. The main headline though is that the break still has four minutes on a disintegrating peleton with 30km to go. They are moving smoothly particularly the two best climbers in the break who are beginning to distance Hofland and de Romijn. The favourites in the pack wait for the biting point before they attack, Gil goes with Van den Broeck and then Vitor Rodrigues goes past both.
Rodrigues gives it an impressive dig
But this is one of those climbs that the favourites accelerate and decelerate, before eventually forming a lead group. Rodrigues, Van den Broeck and Gil seem equal here today so other riders like Y Martinez and Hesjedal can keep bridging. The breakaway is just down to two riders by the time they crest the 15 point Alto de Sote.
Saldarriaga crests ahead of Chacon to take KOM jersey
Yamaha's Bajadali has just found this too far to hold on, still he goes over in third a minute down with the other riders another minute or so behind that. The other favourites have settled down as they come to the top themselves.
Favourites group - Mayo is not here
The group is Rodrigues (Bimbo Nutella), Y Martinez (Quiksilver), Gil (Lego), Van den Broeck (Benfica), Montenegro (Yamaha), Parra B (Red Bull), Ortega (Unicredit) and Hesjedal (Pirelli). These riders have about a minute on the yellow jersey group, which is comfortably enough for a number of them to overtake Mayo.
Pirelli trying to pull this back
However Saldarriaga started the day in 6th place just 52 seconds back himself and as he goes under 10km to go with Chacon he still looks strong.
Benfica man pushes on for a yellow jersey
Chacon is doing little work, he can claim he is waiting for his team leader but it seems unlikely he will bridge.
e1 Chacon, Saldarriaga e2Bajadali at 1.08 e3 Y Martinez, Rodrigues, Gil, VdB, Hesjadal, Montenegro, Ortega, Parra Busta at 1.47 peleton Pirelli led 30 riders at 2.46 Group Rodas/Schwab at 5.05
So it is down to these two, but not much competition here the Benfica man is a bit cooked after leading for the last 15 or so km.
Jose is off
and this writer is jumping about in his seat as ...
Red Bull wins - that's it Jose spread your wings boy
Behind the favourites group catch Bajadali and sprint for third with Bimbo Nutella's Rodrigues nabbing the eight second bonus ahead of Gil. They were about 45 seconds behind the winning pair.
3rd Rodrigues, 4th Gil, 5th Y Martinez, 6th Vdb
Mayo finishes a further 80 seconds back in a fairly large group led in by Unicredit and surrenders yellow back to Sport Lisboa who have their third good day really out of four. No blows from the GC men really yet, this race is more of a war of attrition you feel.
